Laptop Insurance

So at long last you have managed to find your perfect place in the sun, the holiday home you have always wanted and it gives you the chance to escape for a few glorious sunny weeks of each year. It's an attractive idea, and the perfect way to pass the summer months, enjoying the sunshine and making the most of staying at your second home without the worries of hotel fees and other guests.

But problems can arise when you view your home purely as a holiday retreat, and not pay too much mind to how it will fare through the winter months when you’re not around to take care of it. A lot of second home owners fall into the trap of believing that their overseas property insurance will cover them for any problems that may arise throughout the whole year, but in fact many policies contain conditions that can leave the claim invalid if the property is damaged whilst unoccupied.

The most common trap that people fall into with second home insurance is not realising that their policy requires them to fulfil certain obligations for the claim to be valid. Often hidden away in the small print, you could be required to switch off and drain the whole water system when leaving the house unattended, not leaving the property unattended for over 30 days or even performing weekly checks.

Failure to meet these conditions could leave your holiday home without cover if something happened, so it's important to thoroughly check your policy to make sure there are no hidden catches in the small print. If you need to, upgrade your policy – some second home insurance companies like Schofields offer insurance for holiday homes that remains valid throughout the year without these requirements. 

Of course prevention is better than cure, and you should always do all you can to protect your second home against the dangers it could face over the winter. Security is obviously very important, and you should make sure that any valuable items are locked away out of sight and that you always leave the house completely secured. It’s a good idea to have a local neighbour or agent check on your holiday home regularly to make sure everything is as it should be.

Another common problem that often occurs in unattended holiday homes is that water pipes may freeze or burst during the winter. The unexpected cold winter of last year left hundreds of holiday owners in trouble, discovering that their homes had suffered water damage as they'd been left unprepared for the icy conditions. Many of these also found that they weren’t covered on their insurance. There is no way to guarantee your holiday home will be safe from disasters like these but there are a few simple steps you can take that could make all the difference.

Firstly, don’t turn the heating off over the winter – it may save on heating bills, but allowing the property to fall below freezing could cause serious damage to the pipes, which would cost a lot more. All pipes in the house should be thoroughly insulated – don't forget there are probably a few in the loft space above any roof insulation you may have, which will stop heat reaching them from the rest of the house. Turn off the water mains to limit the amount of leakage if a pipe does burst, and most importantly if you do discover a frozen or burst pipe, call a plumber immediately!